Koh-i-Noor Diamond

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The diamond changed hands between various empires in south and west Asia, until being given to Queen Victoria after the Second Anglo-Sikh War and the British East India Company's annexation of the Punjab in 1849, during the reign of the then-11-year-old Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, Duleep Singh. The young king ruled under the shadow of the Company ally Gulab Singh, the first Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, who had previously possessed the stone. In 1851, it went on display at the Great Exhibition in London, but the lackluster cut failed to impress viewers. Prince Albert ordered it to be re-cut as an oval brilliant by Coster Diamonds. By modern standards, the culet is unusually broad, giving the impression of a black hole when the stone is viewed head-on; it is nevertheless regarded by gemologists as "full of life".

In Their Own Story

Since arriving in the UK, it has only been worn by female members of the British royal family. It is said to bring bad luck if it is worn by a man. Victoria wore the stone in a brooch and a circlet. After she died in 1901, it was set in the Crown of Queen Alexandra. It was transferred to the Crown of Queen Mary in 1911, and to the Crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1937 for her coronation. Today, the diamond is on public display in the Jewel House at the Tower of London. The governments of India, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan have all claimed ownership of the Koh-i-Noor, demanding its return ever since India gained independence from the British Empire in 1947. The British government insists the gem was obtained legally under the terms of the Last Treaty of Lahore in 1849 and has rejected the claims.

Reader's Guide

The first uncontested mention of Koh-i-noor is by Muhammad Kazim Marvi, the biographer of Nader Shah of Persia. According to Marvi, the Koh-i-noor was embedded in the Peacock Throne, which had been commissioned by Shah Jahan in the previous century, and which Nader Shah looted during his 1738 invasion of India. According to the 19th century British civil servant Theo Metcalfe, the courtesan Nur Bai informed Nader Shah that the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah had hidden the Koh-i-noor in his turban. Nader Shah, who had reinstated Muhammad Shah to the Mughal throne, insisted on swapping turbans with him as a token of friendship, and thus, obtained the Koh-i-noor. According to Metcalfe, Nader Shah gave the diamond its name (literally "mountain of light") on this occasion. No contemporary source mentions this story, which is likely a myth originating from the account of the Mughal courtier Jugal Kishore, who states that Nader Shah gave Muhammad Shah his own turban ornament.

Did You Know?

• The Koh-i-Noor weighs 105.6 carats (21.12 g) and is one of the largest cut diamonds in the world.
• It was looted from the Mughal Peacock Throne by Nader Shah during his 1738 invasion of India.
• Prince Albert ordered it to be re-cut as an oval brilliant by Coster Diamonds after its lackluster display at the Great Exhibition in 1851.
• Since arriving in the UK, it has only been worn by female members of the British royal family, as it is said to bring bad luck if worn by a man.
• The governments of India, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan have all claimed ownership of the Koh-i-Noor since India gained independence in 1947.